The Carolina Panthers have quietly kept a familiar name around by signing former first-round pick Isaiah Simmons to their practice squad heading into the 2026 season.
Simmons spent the preseason in Charlotte and already finished the 2025 campaign with the club, so the move is less a surprise than a continuation.
He appeared in five games down the stretch last year and recorded two tackles, production that was modest but enough for the organization to keep him in the building rather than let him walk.
Simmons arrived in the NFL with far bigger expectations. The Arizona Cardinals selected him eighth overall in 2020 after a standout career at Clemson, where he thrived as a versatile defender under Dabo Swinney.
Teams saw a hybrid linebacker-safety who could cover, rush, and tackle in space. At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds he still looks the part of a high-upside athlete, and at 28 he is not old by NFL standards.
The pedigree, however, has not translated into the kind of consistent impact that usually follows a top-10 selection.
In three seasons with the Cardinals he played 50 games and piled up 258 tackles, 7.5 sacks and four interceptions. Those numbers were respectable but never elite. He then spent 2023 and 2024 with the New York Giants, appearing in 34 games and adding 71 tackles, one sack and one interception.
A 2025 preseason look with the Green Bay Packers did not result in a roster spot, after which Carolina signed him late in the year. The latest chapter finds him off the 53-man roster and on the practice squad, a common destination for veterans who can still fill multiple roles when injuries hit.
Practice-squad players are frequently elevated on game days, so Simmons remains a realistic option if the Panthers need extra bodies on defense.
His value now is less about starring and more about flexibility and familiarity. He knows the scheme from last season and can line up in several spots, which is useful depth even if it is a far cry from the stardom once projected for him.
Careers like this are common enough in the NFL yet still striking when they belong to a former top-ten pick. Simmons has stayed in the league through persistence rather than dominance.
The Panthers have given him another chance to contribute from the practice squad. Whether that leads to more regular-season snaps remains to be seen, but for now he is still employed and still close to the action.
